Ikou bails for street-railroads



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIDNEY A. BEERS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IRON RAILS FOR STREET-RAILROADS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 28,731, dated June 19, 1860;.t

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIDNEY A. BEERS, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Iron Rails for Railroads; and I do hereby declare the following specification to be a full and complete description of the said invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention consists of an improvement upon the form, and purpose of the coping rail described in certain Letters Patent previously issued to me, and bearing date the 27th day of October, 1857.

Figure 1 is a transverse section of the rail with the tread, or surface, expanded in width so as to form a car, and carriage track in combination of the form, and for the purpose herein set forth and described, and with vertical sides of such depth as may be desired to give strength to the rail, so that it may be laid with, or without, the support of a longitudinal sill or stringpiece. The rail, when laid without a string piece, resting between the supports, upon the compacted earth driven under the sides so as to ll the interior cavity of the rail thereby securing a uniform earth support. a, is the car track, b, is the portion devoted to the carriage track, c, o, are sides or flanges to give strength to the rail, and to conne and preserve the filling of earth on which the rail rests, and to form a broad and uniform surface against which the pavement or other substance composing the road bed may rest at ease. d, is an additional depth of iron, placed at and near the ends of the rail to give the head of the rail additional strength and wear at that oint. e, e, show the foot of the cleats, or lugs, commencing at one end of the rail level with the bottom thereof, and inclining upward to receive and tighten a long wedge of such exterior dimensions as to lill closely the interior section of the end of the rail, which when driven into place and secured by spikes, or screws will leave a portion of the head of the wedge projecting to form a rest or support to the adjoining rail; the bottom of the wedge conforming to the bottom of the rail, and all together resting upon a tie, or block.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal elevation of the interior of the higher side of the rail, showing the position and purpose of the cleat, or lug. c shows the space devoted to the side of the wedge. b shows the thickness of the car track. Vc shows an additional thickness of car track as far as the wedge extends. d, d show the edge and position of the cleat, or lug, the bottom of the lug at, and near the end of the rail, corresponding to the bottom of the rail, and level therewith, thus forming in connection with the bottom of the wedge when in place a square or flat bearing of the whole width of the rail.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The construction and use of a box, or coping rail for street railroads, of such width as to accommodate a car, and carriage track, in combination, and of such depth as to give strength to the rail, 'whether the same is laid with, or without, a continuous string-piece constructed substantially as described.

2. In combination with the rail constructed substantially as described the wedge, and cleats, for the purpose set forth in the accompanying specification.

SIDNEY A. BEERS.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. THOMSON, S. H. ROBINSON. 

